Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has accused President Bola Tinubu of embarking on an eight-day state visit to Saint Lucia primarily to collect titles rather than address Nigeria’s deepening crises.
Reacting to Tinubu’s ongoing trip, during which the government of Saint Lucia conferred on him the title of Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Lucia (KCOSL)—the country’s highest national honour—Obi said the President was neglecting pressing domestic issues.
In a statement on Tuesday, Obi said, “It is alarming that we now live in a country of titles and honours without any passion for the people’s plight. While the Presidency basks in the euphoria of titles, St.Lucia, our people are being killed at home.
“A nation where children cannot go to school because some of the teachers have not been paid for almost three years, similar to what I complained about lecturers a few weeks ago. This is not a functioning nation.”
Obi noted that his earlier criticism of the President’s planned trip had nothing to do with disrespect for Saint Lucia but was purely about timing and national priorities.
“When I said that the President embarking on an 8-day state visit to St. Lucia at this critical time was inappropriate and unacceptable, it was not a lack of respect for the country of St.Lucia; rather, it is about the timing and duration for a President whose nation is in turmoil. Timing is everything, and right now, at this time, Nigeria is bleeding,” he said.
Defending the trip, Presidential aides had earlier cited cultural ties, economic gains, and Tinubu’s onward participation in the BRICS summit as justification for the visit. But Obi dismissed these arguments, insisting that the government’s focus should be on addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and collapsing public services.
“But at this critical time when our people die daily and our schools and hospitals are not functioning, we should focus on fixing our country,” he said.
“Having been in St. Lucia for the past 4 days, we have not seen any agreement being entered or signed that would contribute to Nigeria’s development but rather we are watching Mr. President collect a personal honour and title in St. Lucia, because they know we are a country of titles and honour and crave accolades instead of actual development.”
“Just today, as the President received titles in St. Lucia, at least 37 people were killed in Yobe State, in a Boko Haram attack, and currently, today, protesters in Kwara state have been protesting unemployment, banditry and high insecurity in the state,” he said.
“Since the President left for his trip to St. Lucia, a nation 1/6th of Lagos state in size and 1% of Lagos population of 18 million, several Nigerians have lost their lives to insecurity and one form of banditry to another, nothing has been done for the schools and striking teachers. Today alone several teachers are protesting in Abuja, our schoolchildren are still out of classrooms, teachers are unpaid and are currently protesting even while the president was receiving a title, families are fleeing their homes, and people are living in fear. During the period the president has travelled, 200 Nigerians have died in various crisis-related incidents across the country. Russia, a country at war, has not lost as many innocent civilians as Nigeria, which is not officially at war.”
“Other than Katsina where Mr. President went to attend a wedding, he has never spent a night or slept in any Nigerian state other than his home in Lagos for an official tour and even have never visited some of the most troubled states like Niger State, Taraba or Plateau to spend even a single day with the people, yet he is spending eight days in a Caribbean Island.”
Warning that “a nation in pain cannot afford a leadership in denial,” Obi said, “At a time when blood is being spilt on our soil, when children are orphaned and communities erased overnight, with families separated at IDPs, our children are not in school, and teachers are not paid and basic hospitals are not functional, our leadership must be present.”
He also questioned the justification of attending the BRICS summit offered by the Presidency.
“For those mentioning the upcoming BRICS summit to justify the trip, note that the summit is for the 6th and 7th, and no president or prime minister from the initials BRICS state and new members have separated their countries for the summit. In fact, China and Russia, two of its most powerful members, will not be attending.
“China said they have to attend other pressing issues and so mentioned scheduling conflicts and Russia supposedly because of the war which has prevented the president from travelling in recent times.
“India Premier Minister which is yet to leave its country, will, apart from attending BRICS, be doing a 5-nation tour all within the same 8 days.”
Calling for urgent prioritization of Nigeria’s domestic challenges, Obi concluded: “We must prioritise our own domestic challenges because no vacation, no summit and definitely no conference is more important than the lives of the Nigerian people you swore to protect.
“Our children being in school, our people, especially young ones, being pulled out of poverty, we must now prioritise the security and welfare of Nigerians and vigorously pursue the same.”
Obi had earlier criticised the trip last week when news first broke about the President’s planned visit to the Caribbean nation.
